The present invention relates generally to document formatting and more particularly to producing a plurality of documents from a common document.
In a network environment, such as the Internet, servers are accessible to clients via Uniform Resource Locators (URL""s). Client programs and a servers communicate using the functionality provided by Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
Typically, servers execute server software which presents information to the clients in the form of HTTP responses corresponding to World Wide Web pages (xe2x80x9cWeb pagesxe2x80x9d). Web pages are represented using for example Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML files, displayed as Web pages on the client""s console, are created from source document files provided in a Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) format or in any other text description/formatting markup language format used for document generation. An SGML formatted source document file may be transformed into an HTML formatted file using for example OmniMark(copyright), an industry standard SGML to HTML transform.
Document generation uses, for instance, SGML, as a form of markup for specifying the presentation of a particular segment of text in the document. SGML is a structural markup language for describing the structure and content of a document and, particularly, the information stored in each segment of the document. SGML tags are embedded in the document such that each of the segments is clearly defined. A beginning tag and end tag which is preceded by a slash (/) character distinguishes each of the segments, wherein each tag is enclosed in less then greater than symbols ( less than  greater than ).
In a typical SGML implementation, a Document Type Definition (DTD), such as the Information Development Document, IDDOC(copyright), produced by IBM Corporation, sets forth rules for managing a hierarchical relationship between the various document segments and for naming each of the SGML tags, giving the tags names such as paragraph, title, heading, date, brief, etc. For example, a title originally represented as xe2x80x9cA Guide to Understanding SGML,xe2x80x9d will be formatted using SGML tags to produce: xe2x80x9c less than title greater than  A Guide to Understanding SGML  less than /title greater than .xe2x80x9d One aspect of the structural markup languages such as the SGML is the fact that an original formatted document can be used to produce a plurality of document versions thereof, each constituting an assembly of formatted version-specific segments of the original document.
In general, when a conventional application program is executed, error conditions or other operation related events occur. These error conditions and events are flagged using messages to alert the user of their existence. One of the key issues is providing helpful and accurate message identifiers, text and related information such as action items. When more than one source provides the messages and/or related information, as when the messages are produced electronically and in a printed reference manual, there can be inconsistency between the sources.
For instance, in a conventional digital library system, server programs produce system messages during execution and communications with client programs. The system messages include error messages, warning messages, information messages and action messages. The system messages are accessible electronically, as when they are provided on-screen, and they can be further interpreted by the user via an on-line help Web page (xe2x80x9con-line helpxe2x80x9d) or, alternatively, via a printed reference manual book (xe2x80x9cbookxe2x80x9d) provided by the manufacturer. On-screen, each of the system messages typically includes a message identifier and message contents. The on-line help and the book typically contain information related to the messages which can be indexed by the message identifiers. The on-line help may be represented using the above-mentioned HTML. The system messages are created and maintained by programmers. On the other hand, technical writers create and maintain the book and the on-line help.
A problem arises when the on-line help and the book are inconsistent with each other and, further, with the system messages. For example, a message identifier may point to information in the on-line help and/or the book that is inconsistent with the system message identified thereby. This problem can be compounded when several versions of the server programs are produced and maintained for different operating systems. For example, server programs may include messages having source text versions directed to AIX(copyright), OS/2(copyright), WINDOWS NT(copyright), UNIX(copyright), etc.
This problem is dealt with partially by a conventional method disclosed in Dodge et al. (xe2x80x9cDodgexe2x80x9d), U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,130. The method in Dodge allows technical writers to produce, one at a time, a particular version of a document from a single source document containing all the desired versions, The source document is initially constructed using SGML wherein the particular version of the source document is produced by filtering out all the other versions and leaving in only the particular version.
However, in conventional methods, including the Dodge method, the messages prompted by the application programs are produced separately from any one of the particular versions of the source document. Therefore, conventional methods do not solve the problem of maintaining consistency between the on-screen system messages and on-line-help and printed document, i.e., the book. As a result, the on-line help and the book may be also inconsistent with each other.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for producing multiple versions from a common document such that the versions are consistent with each other and such that consistency with the system messages is provided. The present invention addresses such needs.
The present invention provides a method and system for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats. The method and system comprise providing a document type definition (DTD) for formatting the source document. The method and system further comprise providing a transform to convert the source document into the plurality of documents. At least one of the plurality of documents is a file having a binary code format.
A method and system in accordance with the present invention enables production of the plurality of documents, each representing a version of the source document, such that the versions are consistent with each other. In addition, with the binary code formatted version, used as a source for the system messages, consistency of the system messages with the other versions of the source document is attained.